Sleigh-bell



UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FISHER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

SLElGH-BELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,980, dated August '7, 1894.

Application filed October 6, 1890- To aZ Z whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, JOHN FISHER, a citizenof the United States, residing at St. Paul,- in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleigh-Bell Fastenin gs and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertalns to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, whlch form a part of this specification. My lnvention has relation to improvements in means for fastening sleighbells to the shafts of sleighs, buggies and carriages, and to the tongues or poles of wagons.

The objects of my invention are, first to provlde a bell fastener that will enable a person to attach the bells to and remove them from the shafts or pole in the shortest possible time and without the use of screws, screw clamps or other tools or means; second, to provlde a bell fastener that will save the bells, bell stems and bell strap from getting broken should the bells by a fall of the horse or by coming in contact with teams, wagons or other ob ects receive a blow or hard pressure.

With these objects in view, the invention consists of a bell strap having secured upon one slde of it the bellsand is upon the other side provided with spring hooks or clasps adapted to embrace and yieldingly hold on to the shaft or pole of the vehicle.

It further consists in the combination with a bell strap of spring arms rigidly secured thereto in pairs and adapted to embrace the shaft of the vehicle. Each pair of spring arms may preferably be made from a single piece of spring metal forming a double armed clasp or ring-shaped spring open at one side and secured at or near its middle to the bell strap.

The further novel construction and manner of applying my invention are fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-*- Figure 1 is a plan View of a pair of sleigh shafts with a strap containing three bells fastened to one of the shafts by my improved fastening device. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side View of the portion of the shaft having the bells on it in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the bells and fastening device shown in Figs.

Serial No. 367,295. (No model.)

1 and 2 but with the shaft removed therefrom. Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 2.

Referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, A represents a shaft of a sleigh or buggy; B, the ordinary strap to which the bells O, are secured by screws or rivets in an old and well-known manner.

D are the elastic metallic clasps or springarms formed so as to embrace and by elastic force hold firmly together the shaft A and the strap B. The free ends E of the clasps D are turned slightly outward (as best shown in Fig. 4) so as to facilitate the slipping of the springs in over the side of the shaft in placing the bells on to the latter. The said clasps or spring-arms D are preferably formed out of one single piece of elastic metal, and may be made in such various forms as will be most suitable for the various shapes of shafts, poles and tongues. Also the shape of the metallic strip from which the clasps are formed may be of various shapes like round or square spring wire; or flat, oval, or half oval strips of metal or any style or shape of metal that may be preferred as ornamental or for other rea sons.

The clasp is preferably secured at the upper side of the strap so as to give the bells secured to the under side of it a better chance to vibrate; to each bell strap should be socured two clasps or pairs of spring arms, one near each end of the strap as shown, while the bells may be of any desired number. I show three bells because that is the number of them mostly used on one strap. As a matter of economy in labor I secure the bells nearest the ends of the strap on the same pin or rivet as the spring clasps are secured with, as shown in Figs. 2, and 3.

In operation the flaring ends of the spring arms are placed in a straddling position.-

against the shaft and by pressing with the hands on the bells or the strap they are forced upon the shaft in an embracing positionrelative to the latter; in removing the bells from the shaft the bell strap or the bells are taken hold of and pulled away, causing the spring arms to slip oif from the shaft. If the bells come in contact with any hard object, like other teams, wagons, lamp posts, telegraph poles, fence posts, 850., or if they by a fall of the horse come in contact with the ground,

the spring arms will yield and by turning or sliding upon the shaft save the bells as well as their fastenings from getting broken.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a simple, convenient, and efiective means of placing on and removing from shafts and tongues of buggies, wagons, &c., any shape and number of bells almost in an instant, and without defacing the shaft by the use of screws, screw clamps, bolts or the like, slow and unhandy devices heretofore used for bell-fastenings. It will also be seen that I provide ayielding bell fastener by which the bells and the fastener are saved from breaking in case of contact with hard objects.

I am aware that bells and bell straps are of old origin and that spring arms and spring presenceof two witnesses.

JOHN FISHER.

Witnesses:

(l. E. PIERCE, GEO. E. BRYANT. 

